International Labour Standards on Other specific categories of workers

International labour standards in most cases have universal value and apply to all workers and all enterprises. Some standards mentioned earlier cover specific industries, such as seafaring, and there are a number of standards dealing with work-related issues in very specific sectors of economic activity (plantations, hotels, restaurants) or concerning specific groups of workers (nursing personnel, homeworkers).

Selected relevant ILO instruments

Domestic Workers Convention, 2011 (No. 189) - [ratifications]
This Convention with the accompanying Recommendation No. 201 set out that domestic workers around the world who care for families and households, must have the same basic labour rights as those available to other workers: reasonable hours of work, weekly rest of at least 24 consecutive hours, a limit on in-kind payment, clear information on terms and conditions of employment, as well as respect for fundamental principles and rights at work including freedom of association and the right to collective bargaining.

Plantations Convention, 1958 (No. 110)anditsProtocol of 1982 - [ratifications]
Plantations still constitute an important economic factor in many developing countries. These instruments cover the recruitment and engagement of migrant workers and afford protection to plantation workers in respect of employment contracts, wages, working time, medical care, maternity protection, employment accident compensation, freedom of association, labour inspection, and housing.

Nursing Personnel Convention, 1977 (No. 149) - [ratifications]
Due to growing health services, many countries lack sufficiently qualified nursing personnel. Many nurses are migrant workers who face particular challenges. This convention requires each ratifying state to adopt measures appropriate to national conditions to provide nursing personnel with education and training and with working conditions, including career prospects and remuneration, which are likely to attract persons to the profession and retain them in it. Nurses shall enjoy conditions at least equivalent to those of other workers in the country with regard to hours of work, weekly rest, paid annual holidays, educational leave, maternity leave, sick leave, and social security.

Working Conditions (Hotels and Restaurants) Convention, 1991 (No. 172) - [ratifications]
Tourism contributes to 9% of the world’s GDP and 8 % of total employment. (Note 1) However, these workers, mainly women and young people, are often paid wages that are at least 20% lower than those in other sectors. With the objective of improving the working conditions of workers in hotels and restaurants and bringing them closer to those prevailing in other sectors, this Convention provides for reasonable hours of work, overtime provisions, rest periods, and annual leave. It also stipulates that the sale and purchase of employment in hotels and restaurants be prohibited.

Home Work Convention, 1996 (No. 177) - [ratifications]
Homeworkers, the majority of whom are women, constitute a particularly vulnerable category of workers on account of their often informal status and lack of legal protection, their isolation and their weak bargaining position. The objective of the convention is to promote equality of treatment between homeworkers and other wage earners, in particular in relation to freedom of association, protection against discrimination, occupational safety and health, remuneration, social security, access to training, minimum age for admission to work, and maternity protection.